July 24, 2021 3:58 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Bryan Reynolds homered, Adam Frazier drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when Pittsburgh scored three times without a hit, and the Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4. Gregory Polanco added an RBI triple for Pittsburgh, which snapped a four-game skid. It was 3-all when Dominic Leone walked Jacob Stallings leading off the seventh and Kevin Newman reached when shortstop Thairo Estrada’s throw to second was late. After pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo walked, Frazier worked a 2-2 count before Leone threw consecutive pitches well out of the strike zone to force in Stallings. The Pirates added a pair of unearned runs when first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. fumbled a grounder.
July 24, 2021 4:02 am
University of Michigan dominates start of NHL draft with defenseman Owen Power and forward Matthew Beniers becoming the first teammates selected first and second overall since 1969. Power went No. 1 after being selected by the Buffalo Sabres. Beniers followed in being chosen by the expansion Seattle Kraken. The Wolverines then became the first college hockey program to have three teammates selected in the first round after Kent Johnson was chosen by Columbus at No. 5. There will also be a Hughes family reunion in New Jersey. The Devils selected Luke Hughes fourth overall, two years after drafting his brother Jack with the No. 1 pick.
July 24, 2021 4:00 am
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – The Buffalo Sabres have traded veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers. Buffalo acquired fifth-year defenseman Robert Hagg and the Flyers first-round pick hours before the NHL draft. Buffalo also acquired Philadelphia’s second-round pick in the 2023 draft. The trade could be the first of several made by general manager Kevyn Adams, who is also shopping captain Jack Eichel and forward Sam Reinhart. Ristolainen gives the Flyers another right-shot defenseman for their top four after acquiring Ryan Ellis from Nashville last weekend.
July 23, 2021 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL had to reschedule several games last season due to COVID-19 outbreaks within teams. The league won’t be as willing to do that this year. The NFL has informed teams they could potentially forfeit a game due to an outbreak among non-vaccinated players and that players on both teams wouldn’t get paid that week. In a memo sent to clubs that was obtained by The Associated Press, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league doesn’t anticipate adding a 19th week to accommodate games that can’t be rescheduled within the 18-week regular season. However, forfeits are among the consequences. For purposes of playoff seeding, the forfeiting team will be credited with a loss and the other team will be credited with a win. The league says more than half its teams have COVID-19 vaccination rates greater than 80% of their players, and more than 75% of players are in the process of being vaccinated.
July 23, 2021 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced a significant amount of turnover during the offseason, yet they opened training camp on Thursday with the same lofty Super Bowl expectations. Veteran QB Ben Roethlisberger returns for his 18th season, this time behind a revamped offensive line. There’s also a renewed focus on the running game behind first-round draft pick Najee Harris out of Alabama. The Steelers’ defense also underwent plenty of changes.
July 22, 2021 3:59 am
The Penguins have lost forward Brandon Tanev in the NHL Expansion draft. The 29 year old becomes a member of the new Seattle Kraken. In two seasons with the Penguins, Tanev became a fan favorite for his intensity. He registered 41 points in 100 regular season games including 18 goals. He was the teams leading checker by a wide margin. His departure creates a bit of financial flexibility for the Penguins by clearing $3.5 million in cap space.
July 22, 2021 3:53 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Pavin Smith and Daulton Varsho hit consecutive homers in the seventh inning for the go-ahead runs and the Arizona Diamondbacks finished a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 6-4 victory. The Diamondbacks won their 30th game of the season against an MLB-worst 68 losses and their fourth in a row to match their season-best winning streak. The game was tied at 4 when Smith greeted reliever Duane Underwood Jr. with his ninth homer into the right-field seats. Brett de Geus got the win despite walking John Nogowski to force in the tying run in the seventh. Joakim Soria retired the side in order in the ninth for his sixth save.
July 22, 2021 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Vince Williams isn’t sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers after all. The veteran linebacker announced his retirement Wednesday on the eve of training camp. The 31-year-old Williams appeared in 121 games for the Steelers after making the team as a sixth-round pick out of Florida State in 2013. The Steelers released Williams in a salary-cap move in March – a decision that saved the club $4 million – then re-signed him to a one-year deal a month later.
July 22, 2021 3:50 am
TOKYO (AP) – Sweden has once again stunned the United States women’s soccer team at the Olympics, this time with a 3-0 victory. The top-ranked Americans were the favorites to win in Tokyo and owned a 44-match unbeaten streak. The Swedes bounced the Americans from the 2016 Brazil Games in the quarterfinals. Then in April, Sweden played the United States to a 1-1 draw in Stockholm, which snapped a winning streak dating back to January 2019. Sweden now leads Group G heading into Saturday’s game against Australia, while the United States faces New Zealand. The top two teams in the group advance to the knockout round.
July 21, 2021 3:45 am
PHOENIX (AP) – The Arizona Diamondbacks have their first three-game winning streak since late April. Josh Reddick’s two-out, two-run single broke a tie in the seventh and Arizona scored eight times in the inning for an 11-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Josh VanMeter had a triple and a double in the seventh as the Diamondbacks sent 13 batters to the plate. There were six hits and four walks in the inning, and six of the eight runs scored with two outs.
